What China is doing is expanding its influence in oil producing nations around the world, including Africa.
So, China and the rest of the world will have to make up the 99% energy equivalent of the diminishing oil with something other than nuclear and renewables as we slip down the back side of Hubbert’s curve.
Oil nearing $110 per barrel? $4.00 gasoline by next summer? It seems we’re starting down the shady side of Hubbert’s Peak already. And yet, astonishingly, Hummers continue to sell!
The US has coal reserves of about 500 million tons; our annual use is a little over 1 million tons … and why do we have to use something other than nuclear energy?
Coal is a major contributor to global warming and consequent sea level rise.
It is worthwhile to review all of the arguments pro and con regarding global warming. There are quite a few arguments against the notion of anthropogenic global warming.
You need to decide what point you want to debate. I was responding to your contention that we’re running out of oil and what needs to be done because of it; global warming was not part of that discussion. If you’re worried about global warming then you ought to support nuclear energy but you appear to reject that as well.
I do support nuclear energy; it may be the only thing that keeps us alive, as I don’t see shale oil and tar sand being able to make up the difference once the easy oil is gone. And the “several hundred years” depends on how great the human population is that is drawing upon those reserves. Greater population shortens the life of that resource. In any case, human have to think about the long future: with a century of uranium and three centuries of coal, that still leaves human civilization without a longterm plan.
No Holly is right on the mark. We’re Catholics here. Catholic hold that children are a gift from God, and no human action can force God to create a new being. This is different from God allowing an evil to happen, as a new person is a deliberate, willful act of God. It is something He** actively **chooses to make happen.
Brendan, I’m Catholic too. Do you mean it could never in principle be overpopulated? Could the earth support one trillion humans?
Yes, because God would be the one who put them on the Earth. Who am I to try and tell God that He has created to many Images and Likeness of Himself?
That’s nice. On the other hand, we’ve recieved 5 children as gifts from God, and we are very much hoping for several more. ( I’ve got almost 100 first cousins myself, so it kinda runs in the family). My wife’s best friend had her 10th child one day after we had our 5th, and my best friend is the oldest of 11.
Really, did you ask any of the older ones which younger sibling they would have traded for a new bike, or a color TV.
The key here is that a Soul cannot be created by us, God has to do it. This is a bit different from other goods or evils that God simply permits. God HAS to be actively involved in the creation of new life, because He is the one who actually MAKES the new life, the husband and wife merely co-operate with Him.
SpiritMeadow, I wonder whether it is time to retire the saying “be fruitful and multiply.” That may have been an important cultural admonition for a small people struggling to survive amongst its politically stronger rivals in 1000 BCE, in a relatively underpopulated world. Whether it still has the same survival value at the end of oil is questionable. I am far less optimistic than some that we can avoid the death of billions over the next century, from resource wars, famines, and mass migrations. Bringing yet more people into the world – at the net increase rate of a million every four days – is a recipe for disaster. This Catholic (and many others) regards that prospect as a grave moral problem. Check out worldometers.info/.
“Be fruitful and multiply”, isn’t a saying, or a cultural admonition. Procreation is how a husband, wife and God share in the ongoing miracle of God’s creation, and help build the kingdom of God. It is a command of God Himself. It’s not a “saying” we can retire.
Sure it is. The command is to have some children to carry on the species and to participate responsibly in God’s creation, not to breed like rabbits.“Be fruitful and multiply”, isn’t a saying, or a cultural admonition. Procreation is how a husband, wife and God share in the ongoing miracle of God’s creation, and help build the kingdom of God. It is a command of God Himself. It’s not a “saying” we can retire.
We don’t breed like rabbits. We allow God to bring live and wonder into our families and to fill heaven with sweet sweet song.